The one that got away

15. Afraid

"Ilang araw nang umiiyak iyan?' 

Narinig ni Jin Hye na tanong ni Keith kay Caleb. She was staying at Caleb's house for almots a week now. Hindi niya mapigilan ang hindi umiyak lalo na kapag naaalala niya ang nakita niya noong gabing hinatid siya ni Caleb sa bahay ni Calen. Along the way, Caleb tld her that he will finally tell Calen why he married her in the first place, she was happy to hear that. Handa na si Caleb na magpaliwanag sa kapatid nito, all he could think about that night was the happiness in her heart. Magkakaayos na ang kambal. 

Masayang-masaya siya hanggang sa nakauwi siya sa bahay ni Calen at ang bumulaga sa kanyang eksena ay ang pakikipaghalikan nito sa Danni na iyon. Suddenly she remebered what Danni and Calen were. HE had told her before that Danni was special to him and that Danni was really important and the fact that they were lovers. 

Pinahid niya ang luha niya. 

"Calen is just full of BS." muli pang sabi ni Keith. Mula sa kanyang pagkakaupo ay tumayo siya at lumabas sa silid na inilaan ni Caleb para sa kanya. 

"Jin Hye, are you okay?" Caleb asked her. Nginitian niya lang ito. Binalingan niya si Keith at si Lex. Keith was sitting beside Lex a the couch, Lex was holding her hand at nakikita niya talaga sa mga mata ng mga ito ang pagmamahal nila sa isa't-isa. 

She felt envious. 

All she wanted was to be happy with Calen - tinapangan na nga niya ang sarali niya, nilakasan na niya ang loob niya, she was willing to gamble at the game called love and she was willing to lose everything just to be with him and yet.. and yet. 

"Have you seen him?" She couldn't help but ask. 

"He called me and asked me to come here, papunta na rin dito si Leo." wika ni Lex. She tried her best not to cry. Ni hindi man lang siya hinahanap nito. Akala ba niya mahal siya ni Calen? Bakit hindi man lang siya nito puntahan para kausapin? She still wants him, gusto niya pa rin ng happy ending kasama ito, pero mukhang masaya na ito sa Danni na iyon. 

"Aano si Leo dito?" Tanong niya. 

"I have explained everything to Caleb. Bukas kasi ay maghaharap na kayo sa korte ng madrasta mo.  Caleb will be there to prove that he is your husband at kapag napatunayan iyon, you can have everything na daw sabi ni Leo." 

She sighed. Sa kabila ng kaalaman na darating na ang panahon na hinihintay niya - ang araw kung kailan niya mababawi ang lahat ng pinaghirapan ng kanyang ama noon ay hindi siya masaya. Si Calen ang gusto niyang kasama sa oras na iyon, pero hindi na yata mangyayari. 

"Bakit hindi siya magpunta dito at sabihin iyon sa akin?" Hindi matiis na tanong niya.Lex just sighed. Caleb patted her shoulder. 

"Jin Hye..."

"We'll it's true! He's just four streets away from here and yet he couldn't even show his face? Ano iyon? Ayaw niya na ba talaga sa akin? Ano? MAs pinipili niya iyong Danni na iyon?!"

"We'll si Danni ang kasama niya noong nagre-recover siya sa aksidente..." Mahinang bulong ni Lex. She glared at him. Aksidente? Anong aksidente?

"What accident?" She asked. Nakita niyang siniko ni Keith si Lex. Lex fell silent. 

"Wala iyon, wag nating pag-usapan. Matagal na iyon." Sabi pa ni Keith. She shook her head, then suddenly she remembered the times she and Calen made love at broad daylight, she had seen numerous scars on his body, may isang malaking peklat ito sa may dibdib. She ahd ask him what are those and he just dismissed her question. 

"What accident?!" Tiningnan niya si Caleb. "Do you know anything about that?!" she demanded. 

Caleb looked away. 

"Anong aksidente?!" 

"Naaksidente si Calen noon.." wika ni Lex. 

"Lex, I don't think we have the right to tell her that..." wika ni Keith. 

"Naaksidente si Calen noon." sabi ni Caleb. "His car was hit by a truck, he couldn't walk for a year." 

Her tears welled up. She looked at Caleb. 

"Kailan?" Hindi sumagot ito. Sinuntok niya ang balikat ni Caleb. "Kailan?!"

"June 27, 2005..." Caleb said. Nanghina ang mga tuhod niya. 

"But th-that w-was th-the day of our wedding." Napahagulgol siya. "You didn't tell me!" 

"I wanted to tell you! But your dad said that if I tell you, hindi niya tutulungan si Dad na pagamot si Calen. You knew our financial situation back then, my dad is broke, his company was falling apart, we have no money at all. The reason why I agreed on marrying you, I wanted to help my dad, tapos nangyari iyon kay Calen, galit na galit ako sa sarili ko, I wanted to tell you but if I tell you, Calen will suffer." 

Lalo siyang napaiyak. Why would her dad say something like that? She stood up, she fely betrayed. Pakiramdam niya ay nagsinungaling sa kanya ang kanyang ama. She knew that all he wanted was for her to be happy pero bakit nito ipinagkait sa kanya ang katotohanan? 

Calen surely needed her that time, pero wala siya. She didn't know. 

"Your Dad thinks that if you knew, iiwan mo ako at babalik ka sa kapatid ko. Ayaw niyang masira ang kung anong meron tayo noon. I'm sorry Jin Hye... I should've told you..." 

Wala siyang masabi. Kaya siguro ganoon na lang ang galit sa kanya ni Calen noong una silang magkita matapos ang pitong taon, kaya siguro napakahirap para dito ang lumimot. She cried, iyon lang naman ang magagawa niya sa ngayon, ang umiyak nang umiya dahil noong panahon na kailangan siya nito ay wala siya, wala siyang nagawa para dito. 

"I need to see him..." sabi niya. 

"This is not the time." Caleb said. 

"At kailan pa? Kapag naaksindente ulit siya? Kailangan ko siyang makausap!" sigaw niya kay Caleb. She stood up. Binagtas niya ang daan patungo sa pintuan ng bahay ni Caleb, alam niyang nakasunod ito sa kanya. She opened the door only to be surprised when she saw Danni standing in front of her. Aktong kakatok din ito pero natigilan nang makita siya. 

"What are you doing here?" she snapped at her. 

"Danni..." wika ni Caleb. Danni looked worried. Mukhang hinihingal pa ito. Her eyes were swollen, namumula rin ang pisngi nito.

"Caleb, Calen is missing."

Parang tinakasan ng dugo ang buong katawan niya. 

"What do you mean Calen is missing?!" She screamed. 

"I don't know Jin, dalawang araw na siyang nawawala. At first I thought it was just only because he was buying time, pero two days na siyang hindi umuuwi, nag-aalala na ako. He was last seen at a certain bar drinking, noong nakausap ko iyong bar tender, he said that he saw three men took Calen after that hindi na siya nakita. I'm worried that something bad might happen to him."

Calen's missing... 

Someone took him... 

Pero sino?